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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 






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R. B HUSSEr, PHmieB, 
NANTUCKEf. 



Nnntiickct, like a shell, close jsresses on the sea, 
And holds a living well of constant melody 
Within; — the surge and swell of its liumanitv. 




Copyright, 1S93, by Louise S. Bal<er, 



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PROr.OGl'E. 

BV THE SEA. 

INSTALLATION HV 

'SCONSET. 

ICE BOUND. 

HAR\-EST HVMN. 

A BENEDICTION. 

CUT FLOWERS. 
A BIT OF SWEET-BRIER. 
SANKOTV. 
CHRISTMAS. 
THE CLIFFS. 
EASTER. 
THE LIFE BOAT. 
HVMN. 
HOPE. 
AN OCTOBER SUNSET. 



THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 
THE BLESSING OF THE BELL. 
MN. THE GOLDEN ROD. 

A CROWN OF AUTUMN LEAVES 
DAISIES, 
EDEN. 
I'OLYGALA. 
OLD AGE. 
THE CAROL OF THE BIRDS. 
A MOSAIC- 

SESACHACHA. 
BRANT POINT. 
THE OLD HOUSE. 
'SCONSET CHAPEL. 
SILVER WEDDING. 

IN THE AFTER-GLOW. 'i||(i l|}"\| 

EPILOGUE. 




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The inner harbor lies like molten glass. 
The moors beyond the town. 
The buoy bell on the bar. 
Upon the banks above the ocean's flow. 
The fishers from the town toiled on the sea. 
The pebbly sands behiw lie broad and white. 
The old pump. 

And on its cameo face our isle is cut. 
For every bloom that children pluck. 
A Mosaic — 

Sesachacha Pond. 

It stands by day, a signal tower 

A house all weather-worn. 

"Sconset fhapel. 
In the atter-gluw. 



Fair beacon high. 

When suddenly an angel form. 

With grip of steel the oars were plied 

against the wind. 
The west takes on its goM. 
Thy yellow, bristling wands. 
Pure daisies of the wind-swept plains. 
Polygala Folygama. 
All up and down the rutted roads. 



BY THE SEA. 




A FRAGMENT. 

The ;iir is full of sound, distinct and sweet. 
Of insects' hum and ehirp, as shrill thev ijreet 

Each other. All the while, the very noise 
In vocal grass, to list'ningear makes, still 
And soft, a silence which the soul doth fill. 

And everv reverent heart in thought employs. 

The inner harbor lies like molten glass. 

Soft shadowed near the shore. The gray clouds pass 

O'erhead and pictures make. No human brush 

Can catch their hue so opaline. The hush 

Is so com])lete, that little, languid boats 

Make but a lap of sound in rippling floats. 




Tlic biun btU on the bar outside is s^vung 
W/' All gently by the sea. The moors are hung, 
Beyond the town, with purple flower-bells 
Which, noiseless, too, _vet show their beauteous wells 
Of color deep, as, wave on wave, quick move 
The grassy downs and bends the sky above. 




f-:^. 



INSTALLATION HYMN. 



Our Father, we wait for the seal of Thy love, 
Its impress upon us, the sign of the dove. 
Set firmly Thy peace on each heart to obtain. 
Let pastor and people in union remain. 

Let not Thy glad light he Thy children's .surprise. 
But may it as constant as day on them rise; 
The nights for the young set with stars of bright hope, 
The moonlight of rest give to those on life's slope. 

Thy blessing we ask, for Christ's spirit we seek. 
His truth and His pureness— the grace to he meek. 
His royalty grant us, the strength to be true 
To Thee and each other, our pilgrimage through. 

And when in our earth-life the rich blood shall fail. 

The bowl of fine gold can no more here avail. 

Or ever the soul's silver cord shall be gone, 

Thou'lt gather the threads and our home shall be won. 



'vSCONSET. 



I. 




Upon the bank above the ocean's flow, 

Far out beyond Nantucket's flower-decked moo:'^ 
Were cottages and shingled huts so low, 

With weather-beaten roofs and wind-swept doors 








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Tlic fishers from the town toiled on the sea, 
In spring and fall for large or lesser fare, 

And sometimes sjjacious homes above, in lee 
Be\ond, held sojourners for sea-washed air. 



A loyal, sturdy people also dwelt 

Upon its shores, though counted few in name; 
Yet from its school-house and its homes is felt 

The power of 'Sconset not unknown to fame. 







The rutted roads to town were sweet as now 
With bayberry and wild azalea's scent;— 

The secret told itself. Men wondered how 

It hid so long, health's message, heaven-sent. 







II. 

Quaint hamlet by the seal Thus 'Sconset stands 
Upon our island bluffs; the pebbly sands 
Below lie broad and white beneath the sun. 
Or gray and shadowed when the day is done. 



The fisher's ancient cot with m^-stic nine, 
The villa new and cottage trim are there. 

The old pump gives its waters fresh to tune 
Of gay j-onng voices on the charmed air. 

The village chapel calls to prayer, its bell 
In cadence swinging with the ocean tide; 

While earth and sea and sky in chorus tell 

The boundless Love outreaching far and wide. 




The iroii-liorsc now wends its way along. 
And waves roll in over the sandy dune. 

Upon the landward side breathe full and strong 
Sweet-fern and wild rose, in the summer noon. 

The place once populous with rolling dravs 
Is filled with those who seek the restful ways 
That lead from labor's strain to needed rest: 
Here summer travellers may meet their quest. 

The streets of green are thronged with eager feet, 
The young and old alike find peace so sweet 
That every breaker's boom is organ tone 
Of harmony. None hear the deep sea's moan. 




ICE-BOUND. 



The turquoise sea of June is white with cold ; 
And on its cameo-face, in outline bold, 
Our isle is cut ; her low-ranged hills unfold, 
Carved by the patient years. 

The chilly days and riights come on apace; 
The moon looks down with calm and smiling face; 
And where she smiles, new jewels take their jjlace, 
Ma<lc in the wintry rime. 



Strange akhvmy and power! 'Neath siinimcr skies 
Nantucket like a lovely ereerald lies, 
Approached by eager, wistful, loving eyes, 
That name her "Island Home." 

While now the guardian stars their vigil keep 
She rests secure. The waters' cold, white sleep, 
Shall change to life; the crystal ice shall weep 
In sun-flashed, diamond tears. 

Low-pulsing 'neath the hard, cold face we see, 
Old ocean's heart is beating mightilj^; 
Spring nears, and Nature's loving ministry 
Waits on the God-watched years. 



HARVEST HYMN. 

Our Father in heaven, we bring to Thee now 
An offering of thanks; we rejoice that the plow 
The prophet foretold, takes the place of the sword, 
The pruning-hook stands as a sign of Thy word. 

'Tis meet that we thank Thee for seed-time and sun, 

For fruit-bloom and grain-sheaves from earth'streasure won; 

The gold and the purple are signs of Th3- love. 

The crowning of labor from Thy throne above. 

Let Bethlehem's star in the grain-gold be seen. 
And Calvary's hill in the grapes' purple sheen, 
And all point to Thee, as our Father and Friend, 
Our Comforter, Saviour and Hope to the end 



A BENEDICTION. 



A snow-white peace is in the silent air, 
Earth's crystalled carpet spreads itself about; 

The skj' is beat apart with stars, and where 
They shine the blue is deeper. This without. 

And what within? These words come throujjh the j'ears: 
"My peace I leave with you." In whitest light 

They write themselves, make rainbows of our tears; 
And every shadowed place is quick made bright. 



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CUT FLOWERS. 



The Germans hnve it thus: that God smilcil on the earth, 
And flowers sprang up. A hnp]5y thought for every mind, 

When in the season's prime and summer's winsome mirth, 
On Nature's wrinkled face, we wealth of beautv find. 

Some claim these should be left, nor iilucked at all for love. 
But kejjt to live their little span, made briefer far 

By gathering. Do these forget the treasure trove 
Known of the plants whose hidden power nothing can mar? 

For every bloom that children pluck, others will come. 
So but the root be stayed, and more will frequent rise. 

Because of this. Thus is it with our hearts, the home 
Of love. For every blossom given, more will surprise. 



A BIT OF SWEET-BRIER. 



The odor of the brier sweet 

Tells me of orchards old, 
Where apples new exhale their scent; 

Just as, m3- friend, 3'our love to me, 

Though many years enfold. 
With fragrance fresh is all besprent. 



SANKOTY. 

Fair beacon high, whose glowing, flashing light 

Revolves so full and strong over the waters deep, 

And flings its jewels on the sparkling waves, 

Or like a flaming sword cuts through the blinding night 

Adri]} with fog, to warn the sailor's anxious eye 

And keep 3'on vessel with her sail of white 

Off" from the dangeroas coast, upon whose banks there sleep 

In summer nights the flowers that peaceful lie, 

While soft the beach below the.ri|)])ling water laves! 




The cottagers look for thy sign with eager gaze, 
The townsman peers o'er Shimmo hills to catch the glow, 

And where thy fire gleams 'tis like a burning star 
Set in the dark, or like a gem intaglio 

Cut on the horizon's blue, and known afar 
To mark the waters' dimly channeled wavs.— 
So may our lives be st-t as beacons grand. 

To guide and guard and save some sea-tossed soul 
That safe and glad it make its port and land 

With no more fear of breaker r.or of shoal. 




CHRISTMAS. 



Glad Christmas tide, whole holy joy makes all the air a-thrill, 
Whose storied life goes back to Bethlehem's evening song, and still 
The glad refrain repeats, that Christ is born. The vine-clad slopes 
Of Orient yet echo with the strains of angel-voice; 
The "Peace on earth" resounds, "Good will toward men," while 

cheering hope's 
Far-reaching tones ring out, o'er all the earth, "Rejoice, rejoice." 

The air seems sweetly laden 3'et with dew from terraced plain; 

The olive trees are redolent, the grasses green again; 

The shepherds watch their folded flocks, "all seated on the ground," 

When suddenly an angel form throws vivid light around. 

The flowers lift up their wondering heads, their petals steeped in 

light, 
Their scarlets vivified, their lily cups clear-carved to sight. 



Quick-pulsing through the happy fields, the angel song uplifts, 

And with its holy, heavenly strains, sweet through the night air 

rifts. 
"Glory to God" — this crowning h_vnin let us now gladly sing; 
Let us in chorus, full and strong, make all our firesides ring; 
While we repeat th^ old refrain, "Peace and good will," again. 
May all our lives in service true, make everj- day, "Amen." 



THE CLIFFS. 



These circling shores and cliffs of veUow sand 
Enclose the ancient town like solid band 
Of gold. Mosaic are the houses set 
With weather-beaten sides so often wet 
By sea-fogs, when, like one great shimmering pear] 
The island through the struggling mist slow lifts— 
Their large gray wings these surely, closely furl. 
Unto the horizon line, in seaward drifts. 



EASTER. 

The solemn Lenten bells have mcra;ed in joyful chime, 
They ring out full and free, the song of Easter time. 
The passion-flowered cross no longer tells of death, 
A resurrected Life speaks in the lilies' breath. 
The censer flowers e.xha'e their perlhme pure and sweet, 
And while their odors rare our cpiiekened senses greet. 
Let all our souls await in reverent hope and love, 
The Spirit's brooding care, descending from above. 

May all our votive hearts be alabasters white. 
Which, breaking to our Lord, in consecration's rite, 
We gladly give. Their perfume shall be hope, this hour. 
And faith, which end in deed — love's perfect-petaled flower. 

So for us all, no real death shall be, though riven 
The silver cord, or broke the golden bowl, since given 
By Christ, immortal life is ours. For us, no night. 
Since heaven, our other home, is white with during light. 



THE LIFE-BOAT. 



On January 20. iSg2. the Coskata Life-saving crew rescued seven men from the scluioner 
H. P. Kirkham, wrecked on Rose and Crown Shoal. Medals weie awarded the crew for 
heroic service by the U. S. Government, ana publcly presented January g, iSg^. 

The night feU swift and sure ujion our island coasts. 

AH dark and peaceful lay the old, gray-shingled town, 
Save where the glimmering lights chased off the windy ghosts 

Of shadows playing here and yonder, roughly blown. 

Then one by one these flickered out and desolate 

The gloom that gathered while the unconscious people slept. 

Mrant Light and Great Point lit the waters wide, while fate 
Its path pursued, and on the ocean white waves crept. 

Sleep on, all dreamless, ye who dwell within your doors! 

A watch is in the tower, one keeps the loneU' street. 
While heroes bravely guard your long, outlying shores. 

And through the dreary night the patrol holds his beat. 

No vision in your dreams of wintry seas, nor sight 
Of yonder boat upon its devious, toilsome waj^ 

That left its station on the beach in dull twilight 

Soon after da3'-dawn broke the dark to fragments graj'. 



E'er since the morning swept the shore, this little bark 
Has bravely fought in rescue, dared the biting cold. 

And famished hours manned by a royal crew with mark 
Of coronation on their brows brighter than gold. 

Yon dangerous shoal a vessel clutched within its maw. 

And there the little life-boat slowly made its way, 
Gathered its precious burden from the hungry jaw 

Of death, and headed homeward through the sharp noon-day. 

With grij) of steel the oars were plied against the wind. 
Hour after hour, and but a weary mile attained. 

"Heave out the anchor, boys, and rest until we find 

New strength," the captain cried, when all were overstrained. 

With ardor fresh, their muscles faint and worn with toil, 
They seized their oars again to grapple with the tide. 

Low to the water's edge the little craft — the boil 

Of surging, hissing waves was heard both far aad wiJe. 



Hour afU-r hour, slow-following, through tliL' piercing night, 
This gallant crew the ocean rode; the quivering sea 

Was lighted with its glowing crests of foaming white. 

The skies looked down, and on its hlufl" burned Sankaty. 

And while they wrought so long, a woman kept her watch 
At station or at light-house near, with heart of prayer 

And self-forgetting love (the keeper's wife)— the latch 
Oft lifted on the door of secret Altar-stair. 

Morning again! the awful shoals were somehow passed. 

And 'Sconset beach was stretched before their wistful e3'es. 

There waited eager hearts and willing hands at last. 
This precious human freight, the life-boat's prize. 

All hail! the Captain and his noble, faithful men! 

All hail to him who since has crossed the harbor bar 
To unseen port! And when life's sea is passed, oh, then 

May all their anchor cast 'neath Heaven's bright morning star. 



HYMN. 



Tune: Italian Hymn. 

O, Thou whose love can save, 
Who rulest wind and wave, 

In storm or calm. 
Thou hast thyself in men 
Revealed; in stress and strain 
Thy spirit given again 

To shield from harm. 

Our coast its lengths along. 
Resounds with sweetest song 

Of chanting tide. 
The winds and waters free. 
Raise high their minstrelsv. 
We join their melody, 

Their echoes wide. 



We thank TIil-c for each heart 
That nolily bears its part 

In loyalty. 
Fulfill the Christ on earth, 
And let His word give birth 
In every life to vv^orth 

And roj'altj'. 

Thy blessings rest on these, 
Who fought the angry seas, 

And bravely won, 
Give them the peaceful strand 
That borders heaven's land 
When thej' exulting stand. 

Earth's dutv done. 



^^§tmm=^^^6 



HOPE. 

Not always what we do but as we strive; 

Not what we are, but that we hope to be, 

And, hoping, still ma_v help ourselves thus far; — 

This counts for us the registry of deeds divine. 

The love of God sustains and makes alive 

The tiniest fronds of will which else would never see 

The light of action.— It is like a floating spar 

Thrown out upon the deep and as a saving line 

To aspiration, which can thus be made to reach 

The shore of deed, whose waves soft strike upon the beach. 

Be patient then, dear heart, with all th3' tears, 

With all thy doubts and all thy boding fears; 

There is no strife of thine which may not life create. 

No real battle fought which can or does abate 

Thy strength, if with heroic soul thou workest well 

The problems here, whose sometime mystic answers tell 

Of higher ways thy restless feet shall later tread 

On living green, which springs o'er leaves ot failures dead. 



AN OCTOBER SUNSET. 



Like some grand, glad sur])rise, the west takes on its gold, 
Flushes the chilly east from colors graj' and cold 

To rosj' warmth; swift-flaming banners thwart the sky 
And cross its darkling blue in shining fold on fold, 

While on the horizon's line bright sea-green oceans lie. 

How luminous the scene! The heavens all spread with light; 

E'en in the south the sombre clouds catch at the red, 
And fringe themselves. The west, all vivid and all bright. 

Meanwhile, gleams on with shining inward glory fed. 



Slow shifts the view, to some imagined fire-place tiled 
With sard. Intense and still low burns the steady fire. 

The clouds above, now lurid-turned, are careful piled. 
Like back-logs, and the scattering flame lifts chilled hearts 
higher. 



.. THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 

(on north avenue.) 

I. 

A three-thorned locust spreads its leafy boughs 
Below the pasture where the cows once fed ; 
Behind, stands low and sheltered from the fray 
Of winds, soft-colored with a silver gray. 
The cottage of our youth — the old homestead — 
Set in the valley green, where grasses drowse. 

And buttercups hold high their crowns of gold. 
And clovers nestle in their nightly fold. 

II. 
The lighthouse on the Point stands white and high. 
The piers are outlined with the slender mast 
Of yacht and cat-boat small. No more the thrill 
Of sailor song, nor creak of cordage shrill. 
When whaling fleets were thick and *camels lay 

Upon the harbor bar, to float ships past 
Its shoals, and wharves resounded with the cry 
Of "Yo, heave, ho!" from dawn to end of day. 



III. 

The Ijeach below to northward stretches wide; 

Upon its sands are houses near and far; 
At dusk they twinkle with their lights. The tide 

Swings soft and low the bell upon the bar; 
Its lullaby the weary heart makes calm. 

The waters smile beneath the stars' faint light, 
The scent of meadow land gives healing balm, 

The moon looks down upon the peaceful sight. 

•Used in the old days to float ships into the harbor. 



THE BLESSING OF THE BELL. 



Ring out, O western bell, your notes, 
O'er prairie wide and plain ; 

Your echoes shall the while resound 
Afar their sweet refrain. 

The music of your voice shall fall 
In caverned earth and mine. 

While we our praises send o'er sea 
And land, to God divine. 

Your every tone Te Deiim chants, 

A gospel to declare; 
To unaccustomed ears it comes — 

A message in the air. 

The story was the same of old. 

When Bethlehem's plains did thrill, 

And glory shone the earth around 
To light the midnight still. 



The flowers, as then, shall lilt their heads 

In beauty sweet and rare, 
And, \vondering, their censers swing. 

Till perfiune fills the air. 

Ring out, O bell, your joyous tones; 

In every gladsome peal 
May spirit of the risen Christ, 

Our Lord, on some heart steal. 







THE GOLDEN-ROD. 



*'*•'• "*®''*^-"*<t From out the ak-ni1)ic of the sod, 



Wliat rare distillery, O goldeii-nxl, 

Thy jietrds hued ? 
Or what jiower of the wind-bleached sands 
Has tipped with suns thy yellow, bristling wands, 

With light imbued ? 



Like ingots thick fdong our shore 

Th\' flower-stalks lie. The ocean's muffled roar 

Their wealth defends. 
The eves which see' do quickly know 
From out God's treasury they liberal grow. 

Where nothing ends. 



A CROWN OF AUTUMN LEAVES. 

For many a mile and more these lingering feet have trod 
On life's hi-hwav, and still they press so lightly on. 

The flowers have come and flowers have gone, while leaf and bud 
Have grownand bloomed, and sun and starshave beauteous shone. 

Onne and again and more the snow has fallen white,- 
Has covered hill and plain. The sea, the sky and earth 

Have lain in colors dull, or wondrous hues of light. 
While soul on soul to life (or here or there) had birth. 

And still it is not winter gray to her young heart ; 

But though tree after tree has dropped its ripened leaves. 
Friend after friend her longing eyes have seen depart, 

•Tis Autumn yet ; she stands among the ungarnered sheaves. 



Or better still, the memoried days and naonths, the vears. 
All full of gathered longings, work and service done, 

Seen through experience, with its joys and vanished fears, 
Hang in the mellow gloaming, 'neath the setting sun. 

All full of ruby fire they brightly gleam and glo.v. 

Deep red in color and with prophecy divine 
This world is glad and welcome yet, though sweetly blow 

The heavenly odors to her sense with fragrance fine 

Her thought goes out to Canaan's land, untravellcd now, 
But sure to meet her trustful e^-es, that, yearning, peer 

Across the mystic space between ; while, faint below. 
The grapes of Eshcol breathe their strengthening odors here. 









IS"??* 






DAISIES. 



Pure daisies of the wind-swept plain. 

With arrows white j'oiir jajoUIeii quivers fill, 
And every watching eye eaehnin 

Wiien ;ill the summer air with joy's athrill. 

D;ar Marguerites, out from your hearts of gold 
One feathered barb, a white-tipped message comes. 
The word is ever new, yet ever old — 

Love's gos])el sweet, through all the world it 
roams. 



mi-' 






■^ss^itt' 




Dear messenger, unto a claim divine 
My thought is led, while on a petal shaft 
I send a prayer — a tiny, white-sailed craft — 

I'pon the boundless, uidiorizoned 
blue, 
^ .^^"^-^ That I, () giver of the flowers, to 

■ -'-- „ Thee be true. 



piif^'#pC'^ 



EDEN. 



"Flowers always l)loi)m lor her," we smiKiij:^, sometimes sav. 

And thus a willing anil a gracious tribute pay 

To that mysterious inner line of hitUlen lilc, 

In souls we do not always know in this \\()rld's strife. 

There are those hands that se..'m but just to s'mplv ])laee 
A root, or else a leafy stem, and quickly trace 
P"orces unseen within the willing, ready so'l. 
Where bud and Ijlossom wait upon their loving toil. 

When such as these who loved the flowers (and love them still ) 
Are taken to that clime whose sacred odors fill 
Their hearts with more than earth could ever give of joy. 
Let us be glad the\^ have no more of pain's allov. 

We do not know, 'tis true, what hoh' claims may bind 
Them now, what heaven's garden is, what bloom they find, 
What soil they turn, what plants they set, what mission theirs- 
VV'e know that all is well in Eden's thoroughfares. 




It, Of qinint N uit 
1\r In lull Mght of 



All up and down the rutted roads and on the windswept ])lains, 
ThTe lis;hts its tin-\ lanterns in the winding dark green lanes 
tucket island i little purple flower, 
ght of the sea it grows, this plant with wondrous dower 
Of beauty hidden in the ground and underneath the soil, 
^ The color only white and pure and free from any spoil, 
It blossoms, as it flowers above, on many tendrils fine, 
\s though the earth kept chalices for hallowed secret shrine. 



1 «-&!-%' > T™'' 




Like thy wee Hovver, Folvf^ala, I knew a little child, 
Of nature sweet, of heart so stronjj, of spirit untlefiled. 
And everywhere she planted love in all the lives she found. 
Polygala, she left the flowers, above, below, around. 
In every heart where she took root, the tendrils bloom unseen, 
And heaven is there and heaven is here, where'er the child has been. 
The way is marked with signals bright, where little feet have trod, 
" 'Tis safe to follow," One has said — and flowers grow 'netith thesod. 

O little flower, revive our faith, hold up thy lanterns high 
In all the dark lanes where we tread, tell ns the sea is nigh, 
The sea of love that beats the strand whose atmosphere is pure; 
May its sweet breath our soxds renew and bid us brave endure. 
Let gladness tinge the lengthened hours and gild theshadowed days, 
Till faith shall dissipate the dark and fill our lives with praise. 
Then memory shall give us jo\' and hope its patience bring. 
The little flowers along the read their tender message sing. 



OLD AGE. 



Four-score of years — and yet the days are mine, 
The sun is low, and yet I see its shine. 
The west is lighted with its mellow glow. 
And through my tears I catch a bright rainbow. 

A bow of hope, a covenant of God, 
That all the joys I have come from His word. 
That all my fears and sadness which have come. 
Shall end at last in the eternal Home. 

I trust Thee, Pilot of the slow-sailed ship, 
Thou 'It give the word, the cable when to slip. 
The harbor nears, I leave it all to Thee 
When port to make, off from life's restless sea. 



THE CAROL OF THE BIRDS. 

'Twas day-break on the dear old homestead farm, 
The sun slow crept along the eastern sky, 

And as the light came up, from all new harm 
A little life went to the Life on high. 

Then scattered right and left the pearly mist 

The night had broke to drops of dew and worn. 

The radiance of this pure sweet soul but kissed 

The shadows and our tears, when there was born 

Out from our night, the soft, slow shining of the dawn. 

The hills which stood around new glory caught, 

The pond near by was like a turquoise blue. 
While in the orchard old the trees were fraught 

With odors fresh as brier rose; they knew 
By Nature's secret lore our love so strong. 

The very birds broke forth in carols free, 
They followed, in a chorus full and long. 

The path of little feet Heaven's flowers among, 

'Twas fittintc time for sacred harmonv. 



Sin.a; on, sweet birds, and for your birdlings care. 

A nest is in our hearts, not empty; full 
Of love's warm thatch it stands. The wear and tear 

Of wind and storm cannot avail to pull 
One straw awry. Safe in a mighty tree 

'Tis hid, and there our little love is kept 
For now, forever, for eternity. 

We too hut birdlings are. Yet warp and weft 
Of life shall build our nest quite safe and strong 
In God's own heart, the home where all belong. 



SEvS\CHACHA. 



Shores populous, 
With dusky Indian shades 
Who sailed of old, narrow canoes of birch! 

Banks odorous. 
The pond now gleaminj^ with the blades 
Of oars where nierrv fishers search 
In happy contest for the silver perch. 



BRANT POINT. 



With graceful poise, 
Near sea turquoise. 
It stands by day, a signal tower. 
Through nights cloud-swept, 
And with stars rept 
It lights the wav till morning hour. 



THE OLD HOUSE. 



Capaum and Maxcy's lie toward tlic Inirning west. 
Where aged sachem walked with hand upon his breast; 
And northward in the town, a house all weather-worn, 
Stands gray, and marks the generations long since gone 



'SCONSET CHAPEL. 



A Sabbath quiet broods upon the sunlit sea. 

The rolling ocean sounds its organ melody. 

The chapel bell its mellow cadence adds and calls 

To prayer — The Spirit on each worshipper now falls. 



SILVER WEDDING. 

Riiifj, silver bells, right merrily! 
Peal hnul and strong and cheerily! 

Yovir music takes our thoughts back many years. 
Swing on time's arc, with songs full sweet; 
Chime soft, chime loud, while we, glad, meet 

Our memories so free from haunting fears. 

Ring out, ring loud, this festal day! 
Your cadence ne'er will pass away. 

Our love we anchored sure in waters deep. 
No storm so fierce, no tide so swift, 
Makes in our cable any rift. 

Nor from safe moorings can its hold e'er sweep. 



With gratitude we stand. Alight 
This anniversan' and bright, 

A wondrous radiance floods its joyful hours. 
The sunlight flashes on our track 
Where'er we look as we turn back. 

We never were beyond the scent of flowets. 

Our thanks are due for mercy shown. 
For perils we have passed unk lown 

Or recognized. And so we sing our praise. 
The bells may ring with gladsome peals; 
While o'er our heart the music steals. 

Our souls as censers full, we reverent raise. 




IN THE AFTER-GLOW. 

{Suggested by "The heavenly stars shine out as soon as it is dark enough.") 

The sun had set, but red and vivid burned the glowing west. 
Its rosy flame the heavens ilhimed with radiance. Color pressed 
The firmament; it seemed a leaf of ancient missal scroll, 

And then it faded, while the stars came out the word of Ood to enroll. 

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My sun had set, though glory throbbed and trembled on my sight. 
My saint's departure lett my sky aflame with sacred light, 
At first; but then, the loneliness, the gloom, the dreaded next, 
Till through the darkling spaces pricked the shining stars their text: 

"So will I comfort you," saith He, our Father, and this more — 
"As one whom mother comforteth." Thus saith the Lord!— Before, 
I dwelt in sunlight clear, but, patient now I wait and know 
My mother's love is ever mine in wondrous after-glow. 



And so 'tis many a one 
By near or farther shores. 
Resting, with idle oars, 
Looks down the stream and sees 
The wild flowers on her leas 
And on her wind-swept moors 
Aglow with summer sun. 



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